Even In Death
by The Sabbit
Summary: After a spell goes horribly wrong, Bakura goes into fierce denial, and then refuses to leave his Hikari's gravesite. Can he survive alone, or is he really alone in the first place? COMPLETE
1. Even In Death 1

Even In Death-- 1/4  
  
[A/N: Evanescence just works for Yu Gi Oh. The lyrics are dark, and just, well, work. I've got a whole jam-load of stories locked away in my brain. Songfics, mostly. Here's one, probably one of the most disturbing, too. I'll try real hard. I hope everyone isn't too out of character, please correct me in a review when you read it… Please???? ^.^]  
  
[A/N: 5/6/04; Ok, The first time I posted this story it was as a (really long) one-shot. It's 12 pages in M.Works on 10-sized print, so it's really long, and I know that stories are a bit easier to read if you don't throw the whole thing in reader's faces at once, so I decided to take it down and re-post it as 4 chapters. So here goes, I hope this works better than the first time I posted!]  
  
[Disclaimer: This fact causes more sadness that the topic of the story; I don't own Yu Gi Oh.]  
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~  
  
I really don't believe what's just happened. I sit in our old room and stare blankly ahead of me at the wall, white as your hair was. They all told me you're dead, but that just can't be. I know you're not. I can still see your shadow walking around this old house, but I'm the only one here. I really wish you would come home. I'm very lonely, and I don't know this world.   
  
Give me a reason to believe that you're gone   
  
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong   
  
My Ryou…  
  
Where did you go?  
  
They had a funeral, a wake, even a service, but I wasn't there. Why mourn someone who isn't dead? I know you must be somewhere, but I just can't find you. I told this to your friend, the Pharaoh's Hikari, but he just looked at me with tears in his eyes. Why is everyone crying? Even the Pharaoh looks at me with pity now, and I hate that more than anything. I don't want their pity! I want you back! That isn't too much.   
  
Even Kaiba is lying to me now. He told me the worst things, like that you are gone forever, and they buried you already. That sickened me, thinking of you, my angel, in the ground, in a box… It just can't happen.   
  
Why did you make me do it? They blame me, I know they do. You told me you'd be fine, that you'd be ok. I would rather be in my soul room still, where I could at least talk to you. I didn't need my own body, why did you make me do it?  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Please, Bakura," he begged. Bakura just stared back at him, coldly refusing with his transparent eyes.  
  
"I don't have that kind of energy. Let me wait, I'll get more of the Items, then I will do it."  
  
"But Yami and Yugi have separate bodies, and they're fine!" he protested, but his Dark countered him sharply.  
  
"The Pharaoh has more power than I do, as much as I hate him for it. The Ring and the Eye are not enough," he replied.  
  
"Then why don't we ask for help? I really want this, Bakura, you know I do, and then we wouldn't have to share the body," the smaller boy continued to plead.  
  
"Ryou," the astral body beside him sighed, "My real concern is you. This needs more strength and power than either of us have, and its going to use yours. It might even kill you," he finished with a hard glance at his Hikari.   
  
"Bakura, I'll be fine, I promise!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
I believed you. You said you would be all right, that the spell couldn't hurt you, and that at worst you'd be in bed getting your strength back for a day or two. You didn't know, you had no way of knowing how horribly the spell would tax your frail body.   
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
The Dark chanted words, softly at first, but got louder as the spell called for it. His astral body began to glow, along with the Ring and the Millennium eye on a table nearby. Ryou winced as the spell pulled energy from him, but he stayed standing nearby, watching as first Bakura's legs, then all the way up to his waist became solid.   
  
"It's working, Bakura," he said in wonder, his eyes shinning, but as the spell called more and more energy from his, trying to pull Bakura's soul room away from him, he faltered, grabbing the table as he fell, toppling the Eye.   
  
"Ryou," Bakura started, turning around sharply, almost to his neck now, he knelt down and grabbed the smaller boy's shoulders. Ryou looked up at him, smiling weakly as Bakura's face became real.   
  
"Bakura-kun," he started softly, but a bright light distracted the darker one from his words. It started at Ryou's chest where the Ring would usually be, then expanded in a vicious slash. Ryou screamed only once as an awful tearing sound was heard, and the small boy was thrown backwards. Blood sprayed from the gash in his chest, and his little body heaved, trying to breathe desperately.  
  
"Ryou!" Bakura shrieked, running to his Hikari. His arm twitched, as if trying to push himself up to sit, but it fell.   
  
"Bakura," he said, very softly, "Did it work?"  
  
"Ryou! Don't talk, you'll be alright," Bakura heard his own words, but didn't believe them himself. Ryou was loosing blood fast, and it already looked like most of his life force was gone. "This is all my fault," panicked the usually harsh Yami, looking around for something, anything to help the smaller boy. Knowing he had only moments, Bakura did the only thing he could think of. He brought his face down to the smaller one's in a gentle kiss, their first real one.  
  
Ryou's body gave a tiny shudder, and he sighed, a sound that sent chills down Bakura's newly acquired spine.   
  
"I told you," he whispered softly. Then he ran to the phone and called Yugi. He might know what to do. He left a message on the Hikari's phone and ran back to Ryou's still body. Kneeling next to him, he gently lifted his upper body onto his lap and held him tightly. "You're not dead," he whispered to himself, his voice hoarse from unshed tears.   
  
If he knew one thing, it was that he could not cry.   
  
Ryou wouldn't believe it, or want it. It would only make him nervous.   
  
Slowly, Bakura began to make himself think that Ryou was still alive, that he had somehow ran into his soul room or something, and all Bakura could think was how his Hikari would respond to his living room being covered in blood.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
I remember how Yugi found us, me holding you on the floor, and the way he had instantly ran back outside and threw up in the bushes. I didn't care. It took Jounouchi and Yami both to pry you out of my arms, and they laid you out on the floor, cleaning you off with a gentle rag. Somehow, the gash in your chest was gone, and only your torn shirt and the blood everywhere was evident to it ever being there. Yugi was hysterical, and Jounouchi kept demanding to know what had happened.   
  
Yami was the only one who was quiet. The only one without tears on his face, other than me. He simply, silently cleaned you off and picked you up. Jounouchi held me back from him as he carried your still frame out of the house. I screamed at him, demanding that he bring you back, but he wouldn't listen.   
  
He took you to the police station without me, telling them all he had found you at the side of the road. I was furious. How dare he say you were dead? It wasn't funny, and I told him that. That was when he gave me that look that I don't ever want to see again. Pity shone through his dark eyes. He pitied me for thinking you were still alive, that there was still a chance to save you somehow.   
  
I have to find you; I'm so lonely all by myself, though I'll never admit it.   
  
Something else that sickened me. They made me come to the police station to 'claim the body.' Your eyes were closed peacefully; you looked as much like an angel then as you did as the Change of Heart. I still haven't forgotten those days, when you were nothing more to me than a host, and I was a parasite, living off your energy and body. But that was a long time ago, a long time before three weeks ago.   
  
And three weeks ago was eternity.  
  
~*~*~*~*~  
  
As Bakura sat brooding in his bedroom, Yugi, Anzu and Yami were standing outside his house on the front porch.   
  
"How are we going to do this?" Asked Yami as the sun began to set.  
  
"We have to be very gentle with him," warned Anzu. Yami Bakura had spent three weeks alone in his house. They didn't know if he had even eaten anything in that time, they hadn't seen him since he left the police station. He didn't come to any of Ryou's services, and he was missed by only those who knew him. The only thing any of them knew was that the dark boy was in denial.   
  
"Should we really go through with this?" asked Yugi timidly.   
  
"The only way Bakura is going to snap out of this is if he sees for himself that Ryou is gone. Its really terrible, but it's the truth, and he can't live like this anymore. He'll end up killing himself somehow, or starving, and that's not what Ryou would have wanted," said Yami, his strong voice almost cold at what they had to do. They would bring Bakura to visit Ryou's grave.   
  
"Should we even do this?" asked Yugi, still doubtful. "We don't know how he will react. He might even lose it."  
  
"If he hasn't already," added Anzu sympathetically, casting a sad glance up to the bedroom window as the last of the sun's rays glared off it.  
  
"Bakura," called Yami, pounding on the door, after nobody answered after five minutes of knocking normally. "Bakura, open the door!"  
  
"Yami, please," cautioned Yugi. "I really don't think he wants any visitors right now. Think of how you would feel if anything happened to me."  
  
Yami's expression softened considerably at the thought, and he stopped his banging. Carefully, he tried to open the door, and was surprised to see that it was unlocked. He cast a glance to Yugi and Anzu, and stepped inside.   
  
~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~   
  
[…Are you in suspense???? Do you like it so far, beloved readers? You know I love you, and if you love the story (or, you know.. me?) you'll review, especially if you want me to update next Friday! (Well, it's Thursday night right now, but…) I'll be posting all my updates over the next four Fridays, since they're already done and I don't want to post it all at once. It'll be something to look forward to. I'll even give you an (abridged bonus!) sneak peek for next week!]  
  
~ ^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^  
  
"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" he screamed, furious. Yami took a step back, bracing himself. But Bakura only looked back down. Yami could swear he saw something inside the thief break and crumble. Moments later he was on his knees next to the stone, his fingers on the inscription, as if trying to make himself read different words.   
  
Yami backed away to let Bakura be alone. He didn't want to see this any more than Bakura wanted to be seen.   
  
Bakura could feel his grip slipping. What he was hanging on to he didn't know, but he was about to lose it. "Ryou," he whispered softly, then more angrily, "Ryou!"   
  
^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^ 


	2. Even in Death 2

**Even In Death-- 2/4**  
  
[Here's chapter two, as promised. I'm typing this up before I post any of these, so thanks in advance to all reviewers! I love you and I give you candy. I can't think of anything else to say in this a/n, so I'll shut up and let you read the story!]

[Ooo! I never saw this quickEdit thing before... awesomely neat! Now i can fix stuff w/o ripping down that whole dang fic!]

[Disclaimer: I do not own YGO or Evanescence, I have only my love for Bishonen and the lovely voice of Amy Lee.]

* * *

"Bakura," called Yami, pounding on the door, after nobody answered after five minutes of knocking normally. "Bakura, open the door!"  
  
"Yami, please," cautioned Yugi. "I really don't think he wants any visitors right now. Think of how you would feel if anything happened to me."  
  
Yami's expression softened considerably at the thought, and he stopped his banging. Carefully, he tried to open the door, and was surprised to see that it was unlocked. He cast a glance to Yugi and Anzu, and stepped inside.   
  
Inside, the first thing the three noticed is that Bakura hadn't even bothered trying to clean up. Anzu gasped at the sight before her; she hadn't seen the mess before, and now Ryou's blood had dried over everything.   
  
"What do you want?" came a low voice from the bottom of the stairs. Yami turned toward him.  
  
"Bakura, come over here," he said slowly. Bakura calmly walked over to him, and Yugi's face fell. It had been just as he feared.   
  
The once proud looking tomb robber now looked wasted and thin, dark circles under his eyes showing that he hadn't slept in quite a while. He wore the same clothing, and still had Ryou's blood on the shirt he had covered with a jacket at the police station. His hair was limp and knotted, and he looked completely without life. He still held his head high, though, and demanded again to know what they were doing in his Hikari's house.   
  
"Bakura, we're here to help you," Yugi started slowly, but Bakura scoffed.   
  
"Bring him back, that's all I want. I don't know where you took him, but I want him back," was all he said, glaring at them coldly.   
  
Anzu caught her breath. It really was worse than she thought it would be. Yami didn't look intimidated at all, but Yugi gulped.   
  
"Bakura, you need to come with us," he said levelly.   
  
"Where?" he asked instantly, staring at them distrustfully.   
  
"You need to see where Ryou really is," he said, calm as ever. Yugi blinked back tears that stung the corners of his eyes. He was worried, and a little afraid of the distraught boy in front of him. He'd hurt people before, intentionally, and didn't look very stable right now.   
  
Still glaring at them, he followed the three out the door into Anzu's car. She put the key in the ignition, and they were off. She prayed silently to whoever could hear her that this would be worth it, and that the boy would come to grips with his situation, and not their throats.   
  
By the time they reached the graveyard, Bakura was on edge. "Where are we going?" he asked irritably. "He'd better be ok," he growled. Anzu was getting more nervous, and Yugi was fidgety. He knew something about this felt wrong, like they shouldn't be trying to convince him this way. 'This will only end in tears,' he thought to himself.   
  
Anzu stopped the car at the part of the road through the graveyard closest to Ryou's small tombstone. The moon was high in the sky as they all stepped out, Bakura looking around angrily, Yami still calm and cold.   
  
"This way," he said softly, leading the Egyptian off the left, motioning for Yugi and Anzu to stay where they were.

..

_Moonlight on the soft brown earth   
  
It leads me to where you lay   
  
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home _

_**..**  
__  
_"Here," Yami said softly, carefully. Bakura looked down at the tombstone incredulously. It said "Bakura Ryou," and it listed the year he was born, then the current year. A small inscription of an angel graced the upper half. Bakura could only stare down in shock.   
  
"Is this some kind of sick joke?!" he screamed, furious. Yami took a step back, bracing himself. But Bakura only looked back down. Yami could swear he saw something inside the thief break and crumble. Moments later he was on his knees next to the stone, his fingers on the inscription, as if trying to make himself read different words.   
  
Yami backed away to let Bakura be alone. He didn't want to see this any more than Bakura wanted to be seen.   
  
Bakura could feel his grip slipping. What he was hanging on to he didn't know, but he was about to lose it. "Ryou," he whispered softly, then more angrily, "Ryou!" He couldn't think of anything more to say.   
  
It all hit him in a rush. Ryou. Under this stone, under the ground, in a coffin. Suddenly he found himself near hysterics, and he grabbed a handful of earth and tossed it violently aside, digging with all his strength to reach the box locking his only Light away from him. All this time, he kept repeating the little one's name desperately, as if he could wake him up just by calling him.   
  
"How did he take it?" asked Anzu softly as Yami reached the car. The Pharaoh just shook his head lightly, staring at the moonlit earth. Suddenly, they heard Bakura's sharp cry, and they ran to him before he hurt himself or something.   
  
When they reached him, he was still clawing at the earth, soft, brown, and still fresh. His knees were sunken into the dirt, and all he had managed to do was spread it everywhere, trying to throw it out of his way.   
  
"Bakura, stop!" cried Anzu. Yami nearly dove at him.   
  
"Get a hold of yourself!" he cried as he tried to restrain Bakura from any more thrashing. Yugi didn't know what to do as he looked between the two wrestling figures over Ryou's grave. He couldn't help but feel like this was the last place those two should be fighting like this. Anzu could only think the word 'Sacrilege.'  
  
Finally, Bakura stopped fighting. He nearly went limp, but his body kept shaking violently. Yami let him go, and let him fall to his hands and knees on the soft earth. They all stood very still for a moment, watching the shuddering figure on the ground, not wanting to disturb him again, lest he go back to being hysterical.   
  
After a long pause, from his spot on the ground, Bakura said, "You can all go now," in his low, raspy voice. They all stared at him. Yugi started to speak, but Bakura cut him off. "I'll be fine. Leave me be."   
  
Anzu and Yugi could only look to Yami, who stood very still for a moment, thinking. Finally, he said, "Let him mourn in peace," softly, and turned to walk away. Anzu and Yugi hesitated only a moment, and then ran to catch up to him, glancing back every now and then.

..

_I will stay forever here with you   
  
My love   
  
The softly spoken words you gave me _

_Even in death our love goes on_

..

"Ryou," Bakura whispered again once he heard the car start up and drive away. He knelt like that all night, his head hung between his arms, feeling defeated and very, very lonely. "You said you'd be fine," he whispered. Then his voice escalated to a yell. "You said you'd be alright!"  
  
His fists clenched over the ground, and he still shook slightly. "Ryou, Hikari, you just can't be gone…"  
  
And that was how I got to be here, lying over where I knew you must be. It had finally hit me, and the force of impact paralyzed me. I couldn't move, although much later on I was glad for that. Anzu came by in the morning in her car, I was still sitting there, leaning against your tomb stone, reading the words for the millionth time. "Bakura Ryou," I said aloud again.  
  
"Bakura?" came her timid voice from above me. She carried a tray of food, hot cereal, some kind of cream of wheat stuff. I told her I wasn't hungry, but she said the others were worried about me. I scoffed, but she insisted. "Please take it, Bakura," she said, "You haven't eaten anything in so long, we're all worried for you. If you won't leave here, at least stay alive."  
  
I considered her words carefully. At least she didn't tell me I needed to leave. I would have yelled at her, cursed at her; but all she wanted was for me to eat. So I did. It didn't taste bad; it didn't taste like much at all, but it didn't matter. Not much mattered anymore.   
  
I handed her back the empty bowl and spoon, and she sat down next to me. I stared at her darkly. "What?" I asked.   
  
Bakura, you can't just stay here," she started, but stopped when I began to growl at her. I pointed down at the ground, an almost cruel gesture.   
  
"There. That is where I am. I can't move," I said, my voice cold and hard as ice. Anzu looked stunned, but said nothing. She gathered her things and left quietly, giving me one last glance before she was gone. I heard her car drive away and leaned back onto the tomb stone of my Hikari.   
  
I would never leave this place.   
  
I couldn't.  
  
Not without you.

* * *

[Are you depressed yet? Have I made you cry? I made my friend Abby cry -. Please review! And here's another preview!]  
  
Every morning when I woke up from then on, I felt something growing in the back of my mind. It was like how it had felt before, when you were still alive and present in the back of my mind when I took over our body. There was the feeling that something was there, but faint and sleeping. I felt myself growing more hopeful every day, and giving all of my energy to the Ring whenever it would activate, holding nothing back.   
  
I wanted you back, and if the Ring could do it, I would do everything I could to help it. 


	3. Even in Death 3

**Even In Death-- 3/4**   
  
[A/N: Once again, thanks to all the (probably few…) reviews I got!! I give you all bishonen plushies, and love love love! This is where the plot thickens… a little.. Like Ramen broth when you boil it for a few minutes longer than normal, and the noodles absorb the flavor and get all soft, and the broth is nice and flavorful and-- Mmmmm… my mouth is watering now… Anyway, here's the next chapter!]  
  
[Disclaimer: I still don't own YGO, but I DO own a kitten named Aibou! She is my baby. -. I have an evanescence CD, too. I want the Origin CD!!! It has this song on it, I hope they re-release it!!]

* * *

"There. That is where I am. I can't move," I said, my voice cold and hard as ice. Anzu looked stunned, but said nothing. She gathered her things and left quietly, giving me one last glance before she was gone. I heard her car drive away and leaned back onto the tomb stone of my Hikari.   
  
I would never leave this place.   
  
I couldn't.  
  
Not without you. 

..

_Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love   
  
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love   
  
They don't know you can't leave me   
  
They don't hear you singing to me_

..  
  
That night, as I lay my head against the cold stone, unable to shake the thought that somewhere, far below me, your once warm skin is now cold and lifeless as this marker, I whispered your name again. I still felt empty and alone, and I knew I always would. Yugi and some others came by again around dusk and brought me more food, and again asked if I would leave. I still refused.   
  
I clutched my hands to my chest to keep warm, marveling still that I could feel my own heart beat, and not one that I shared. But I still shared it, and it felt like someone had ripped out a piece of it with something rusty.   
  
Then, so softly at first I thought I was imagining it, I felt my heart skip extra times, but I didn't feel short of breath or in any pain. I pushed my hand hard onto my chest, worried, trying to feel the beats again, and they continued. There was not one pattern, but two! One, my own, suddenly sharp and nervous, and another, slower, and not as strong. Now I was worried. Did this usually happen to humans somehow? Or did I have two hearts?  
  
Of course I have two hearts, I thought bitterly, relaxing against the stone again. "I'm probably just imagining it. I'll wake up in the morning and…" And? And what? What is there to look forward to now?   
  
Just then, I heard a whisper. Somewhere, the wind was making a small noise, and the first thing I thought of was you, Ryou. I couldn't help it. I looked around, expecting to see you, but there was no one. The wind continued all night, and I swear it was saying my name. I eventually ending up letting it lull me to sleep, pretending I could hear you.  
  
"Bakura?" I awoke to the sound of a small voice, but it wasn't yours. It was little Yugi, come with more food. Well, I could get used to this, if only they'd stop asking me to come home. They didn't understand. There was no more home for me. I could never go back to that house; your blood was still everywhere, and I could never erase you from the place where we spent so much time together. I knew I was sick, but I didn't care.   
  
Yugi left after trying to get me to talk to him after I was done eating. I guess he felt a little guilty, after all, it was his Yami's idea to bring me here, and now I wouldn't leave.   
  
"I'm fine here, you know," I interrupted him from what he was saying. I hadn't been listening anyway.   
  
"Bakura, you'll get sick from the cold. Winter's not over, and February is usually very cold and wet," he reasoned, but I still shook my head.   
  
"If I die here, Yugi, I'll be with him. Don't you see? There is nothing for me anymore. Just this spot. Sell the house if you want, I just can't go back."   
  
I had surprised him, I had never spoken so openly before to him, and he hadn't been expecting it. Good. He slowly nodded. "We'll still bring food for you, we can't just let you starve," he said softly. I nodded an ok.   
  
"If it makes you happy," I said with a sigh. He nodded again and stood up to go. He paused, as if waiting for me to say more, but I just stared at the ground, and he left, and I was again alone with your tomb stone, the wind, and my heartbeat.   
  
I felt my chest again, it was still irregular. I wasn't worried, just curious. And the wind seemed to have picked up, too, but the leave weren't rustling all that much, and Yugi didn't seem to notice how windy it had become. I toyed with the Millennium Ring around it's rope on my neck. I couldn't leave it, I was far too attached to it after spending all those years trapped inside. And it was yours, too. I wanted to have it with me.   
  
Holding it, I felt slightly dizzy, and the extra pulse in my chest seemed to transfer itself to the Ring. I wasn't sure how, but the ring began to beat by itself. I stared down at it in wonder. What on earth is happening?, I thought. The Ring began to glow as if it had been activated, and I felt it taking small amounts of energy from me as it tried to work. It continued like this until I fell asleep an hour later, too tired to stay awake to see what it was doing.   
  
While I slept, I had a dream. I've had this dream before, earlier this week while I was sleeping against your tomb stone. You stood in front of me, but it wasn't really you. You were the Change of Heart again, and no matter how many times I asked you why, you wouldn't respond. You would only give me this sad, sweet smile, and fly away. You didn't even look back, no matter how many times I called out to you.   
  
This time it was different.   
  
After calling you for what seemed like forever, you turned. You were very far away, and I could just barely see you. You looked back at me with the sweetest look I had ever seen on your face, then you burst into a grin. You still wouldn't say anything, but as I started to wake up, you spun around and flapped your wings once in my direction. The wind that somehow came sweeping over me from your wings seemed to whisper my name…  
  
I woke up to the same sound still swirling around me, but now I knew it couldn't have been the wind all this time. At the beginning, maybe, but not anymore. Not a leaf was stirring in the still trees along the distant road, but the sound was louder than ever. It was still gentle and soft, like a whisper, but now more defined. I looked around, searching for the source of it all, but there was no one in sight.   
  
About a half an hour later, I remembered the Ring, and as I looked down at it, it's glow just started to fade. When the Ring stopped glowing, the voice stopped it's whisper, and I leaned back, now thoroughly confused. I could think of no other explanation, and I looked down at the settled earth. "What on Earth are you doing?" I wondered aloud, but I couldn't help a small smile from creeping its way to my face.  
  
I don't have to be totally without hope, do I?   
  
Days later. Anzu came every morning to say hello and bring me breakfast, and every night Yugi would come and bring my dinner. I had grown used to seeing them, and even looked forward to it some days. They stopped asking me to leave my spot, and I stopped snapping at them. Yugi, quick to forgive, even stayed and had conversations with me sometimes. There were still times when I wanted to be left alone, and they thankfully understood that, and gave me my space when I asked for it. They even brought me some blankets for when it got cold at night.   
  
I'm sure at least Yugi noticed how different I was acting. He was more relaxed, and not as nervous as he had been at first. Its probably because I calmed down. I'd become a lot more accepting of my Hikari's fate, but not enough to leave the spot where he lay. I talked to him as if he could hear me through the ground and coffin, and I often wondered if he was listening somewhere.   
  
Sometimes the Ring would start to glow again, and I'd hear that soft whispering voice. Once I was talking to Yugi when it happened, and asked him if he could hear anything, but he shook his head no. I never mentioned it to Anzu, because although I could see that she really did care, it was like she was able to detach herself from it when she left me and carry on with her life. I didn't hate her for it, but it irritated me for some reason, even if I knew that she had a life to carry on with by herself. Maybe I was envious that she could heal herself in such a way, I don't know. It confused me.   
  
Tonight my dream was different. Instead of not say anything at all, you interrupted me in the middle of my questions.   
  
"Bakura?" you said suddenly, surprising me because I didn't expect you to answer no matter how much I asked.  
  
"H-Hai?" I said finally.  
  
"Do you love me?" you asked. Your voice was the sweetest thing I'd heard in weeks, and I was quick to answer.  
  
"Of course I do, koi," I responded. You nodded slowly, the kind smile never leaving your face.  
  
"Then you will always have my soul," you said. I didn't understand, and started to ask what you meant, but you spread your mis-matched wings and flew off again.   
  
This time before I woke up, I heard you say my name once more.  
  
Something was changing, I could feel it happen. Where there was once a hollow, shattered feeling in my chest had started to rebuild itself some how. I didn't feel as sad as I used to, and I talked to you more often out loud. My dreams had stopped; now when I would sleep I would only drift until morning. The voice had stopped it's whispering too, but the Ring continued to glow, and I still had no idea what was going on. I hid the Ring when Yugi and Anzu came each day, I didn't want them to ask questions I could not answer.   
  
February is over, and the world has begun to warm up just a little. The bitter sting in the air was gone, and some birds were coming back to the graveyard to look for good places to build their nests in spring. I'd even begun to grow a little restless, standing up and taking short strolls around the tombstones, never straying far from where you lay. Whenever I wasn't paying attention or thinking too deeply, I would hear someone talking. It was as if someone was out for a walk with a friend and was talking to them, but I could never see them or make out what they were saying until one morning I got up to go for a walk, and I heard someone call out as if from a distance, "Don't go too far!"   
  
I looked around again, only half expecting to see anyone at all, but I was too far from the road to see if it anyone was actually there. Not really thinking, I muttered, "I won't," and continued my stroll. It was the first time I ever understood what I'd been hearing. I couldn't help but wonder if the place was haunted. It would make sense. It was a graveyard, after all, but I never saw anything to prove it. Only a voice every now and again. Maybe the ghosts were used to me, and didn't want the only living person around them to leave. Well, I thought, if that's the case, I won't be disappointing them.   
  
That night, when I went to sleep, instead of just dark unconsciousness, I appeared in my soul room. I looked around, wondering why I was there, when I heard something. It started out soft, then began to grow. Someone was singing somewhere! My eyes widened as I looked around, then focused on the door leading out. It sounded like someone was out in the hallway, or… Like someone was in the room across the hall! That would mean that there was a room across the hall again!   
  
I ran to the door and tried to pull it open, but it was stuck fast, as if there was nothing outside to get to. I pulled as hard as I could, then started to bang on the door. The song from the other room ended, and I could no longer hear anyone. I called out, trying to see if I could get a response, but there was no more sound from the other side of the door. Eventually I gave up, and decided to lay back down on the bed and go to sleep, getting some real rest before morning when Anzu would come with breakfast.   
  
When I woke up, the Ring was glowing again.  
  
Every morning when I woke up from then on, I felt something growing in the back of my mind. It was like how it had felt before, when you were still alive and present in the back of my mind when I took over our body. There was the feeling that something was there, but faint and sleeping. I felt myself growing more hopeful every day, and giving all of my energy to the Ring whenever it would activate, holding nothing back.   
  
I wanted you back, and if the Ring could do it, I would do everything I could to help it.   
  
Finally one morning after Anzu had left me to go to school, I felt it. I stirring, like someone tossing in their sleep, or restlessly shifting around. It stayed silent, but I knew what it was.   
  
Somehow the Ring had brought you back to me. I don't know what it did, or how it did it. All I knew was that our bond had kept us together. I still wouldn't leave your grave site, not until I was sure and could hear you for myself, but I would be patient and wait. You were back!  
  
You just had to be!  
  
"Well, Bakura, you sure seem happy tonight," quipped little Yugi as I eagerly finished off my dinner. I looked over at him from my nest of blankets on the ground with a look that was almost a smirk. He smiled back and carefully asked, "Any thoughts on coming back with us?"  
  
I paused, considering telling him my thought, but it would be my secret for now, until I could prove it to them. Instead of snapping at him or being angry, I simply looked back at him calmly. "Maybe soon, but not yet," I said, choosing my words carefully. He instantly brightened. I could've been telling him that there was going to be a party soon or something. Who knows, if I came back, they might have one.   
  
"Alright Bakura," he said, nodding happily.   
  
When he left a little while later, he gave me a hopeful grin before passing out of view. My lip twitched to the side in an almost-smile. Soon, I thought. Soon. 

* * *

[Ta-Da!! A little longer than the others, so I'll make this shorter than the other notes! Review please! And, for your happiness, a final preview!]  
  
Finally night came, and Yugi drove up in his little car with our dinner. I still didn't know how to tell him, but I would figure it out. "Hey Bakura," he called as he came into view, holding up a bag of take-out from some restaurant or another. I waved back, smiling slightly. If nothing else, this would be interesting. I would tell him after we ate; he had brought some for himself, so we don't choke or anything, and to give me more time to think.   
  
When we did finish, I cleared my throat. "Yugi," I started, "I have something to tell you."  
  
He looked at me, hoping that I would say I would go back to living like a normal person. I guess I was, really. "Yes, Bakura?"   
  
I gave him a level stare, looking him in the eyes, and said, "Yugi, Ryou isn't dead anymore."


	4. Even in Death 4

**Even in Death-- 4/4**   
  
[A/n: The final chapter! How many kind reviewers actually were waiting for this? Are you wondering what that last preview meant? ((And if you've read it before, -cough-ANZU-cough- and have given it away, I'll beat you with sticks at school!)) I'll be quick again, cuz I bet you wanna read the ending. I know I said i wrote all these in adavnce and set them up and everything, but I just have to respond to the few reviewers i did get in this last chapter! Here goes!  
  
**Anzu2:** You first, cuz you reviewed FIRST. Hi Anzu!! I'm glad you read it, i wrote a Yaoi fic you liked, and now I'm going to shove all my Yaoi fics down your throat at school!!!

**Chibi Chaos Mage**: You reviewed before, too, when it was all one big chapter. Thanks for sitting through the whole thing and actually reviewing! You should get a hug, even if you don't read this.

**Abby Rose**: Hey Abby! Look, I talked about you! See you in school, Kwessen. ((If you don't know what Kwessen means, read the book, "The Riddle of the Wren" by Charles de Lint))

**YG**: Thanks so much! My biggest fear is putting them totally out of character. Well, one of my biggest fears. And unless it's comedy. Then its ok sometimes.   
  
**DeathMist's Master:** Yeah, I wanted it to be really Emo. lol. Thanks for reviewing!

**Rowan Girl**: I made someone I don't know cry! I guess thats what I was trying to do, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. =)

**mymuselovescookies: **Awww! Well, I hope you read the rest, and I'm so glad you liked it!

**Anime Crazed: **Yay! More people I haven't forced to read this reviewed! I hope you really like the ending, I made it super-sweet to make up for all the sadness I caused them.

**Molly-chan the Anime/Game: **I love it when people have conversations in reviews. I like long reviews. hehe. You made me smile. All the reviews did, but this was a long one. I give you plushies.

**Silvershadowfire: **Thanks so much! You think I'm original! dances That really means so much to me! I wanna be Ryou, really, just so i could snuggle Bakura... o.o I'm not a freak, just a fan-girl... -.-; o.o You know what? If I knew you I'd buy you Apple Pie ice cream at ColdStone... Because ColdStone is the ice cream god-store and Apple Pie is great.

**worthless:** O.O I'm actually good enough to be a favorite! dances You bring me so much joy! I give you love and plushies!!!!

**moocow33: **W00t! More people in tears! Almost, anyway. - Wow, you guys make me wanna update early! Hehe.

**Bakuras-Hell:** Hey, that was the name of a website that i heard alot about, but closed before i could see it... I'm sure you'll love the ending, I made it real nice for Bakura... Or maybe I just make Bakura die to be with his Ryou-kun? Lol. I'll leave you guessing for now.

**april:** Well, here's the last chapter for you. Hehe, April is the month i was born in...

**DreamingChild: **w00t! I'm cool! lol. Read on, review again, and I'll check out your stories. bribe

[Disclaimer; Still don't own YGO, still don't own the song. I wish I could write poetry that pretty, but I'm stuck to my angsty little scrawls.]

* * *

"Well, Bakura, you sure seem happy tonight," quipped little Yugi as I eagerly finished off my dinner. I looked over at him from my nest of blankets on the ground with a look that was almost a smirk. He smiled back and carefully asked, "Any thoughts on coming back with us?"  
  
I paused, considering telling him my thought, but it would be my secret for now, until I could prove it to them. Instead of snapping at him or being angry, I simply looked back at him calmly. "Maybe soon, but not yet," I said, choosing my words carefully. He instantly brightened. I could've been telling him that there was going to be a party soon or something. Who knows, if I came back, they might have one.   
  
"Alright Bakura," he said, nodding happily.   
  
When he left a little while later, he gave me a hopeful grin before passing out of view. My lip twitched to the side in an almost-smile. Soon, I thought. Soon.  
  
A week went by without anything really new. I stopped hearing voices calling, and I didn't dream at all. It must have been around midnight that it happened. I was almost completely asleep when I felt something SNAP awake inside of me. There was a sudden rush of emotion I couldn't control, and I sat straight up. I felt so many different things coming from out of nowhere that for a second I forgot where I was. Surprise, fear, happiness, worry, confusion; all at once and jumbled together.   
  
I felt suddenly very strange, and I wanted to just get up and run off this sudden anxiety. That was when I heard it. Looking around I began to get a little frantic, and I had no idea why. And where did the thoughts come from that I shouldn't be where I am, or that I had just appeared there and not been there for two months. I stood up, trying to shake myself off, when I heard it.   
  
"Bakura?!" came a voice. I looked around, I know I heard someone say my name from nearby. That was when I recognized the voice.   
  
"Ryou?" I asked aloud hopefully.   
  
"Bakura?? Where am I?" I heard, and realized that it was coming from inside my head. I was positively thrilled!   
  
"Ryou!" I yelled aloud, overjoyed. "Ryou, you're back!"   
  
"What on Earth?" Your confused voice wondered, before saying softly, "Bakura, I'm not dead?"  
  
"No!" I cried, "You're back! You came back to me!"  
  
I felt him slowly start to understand. "But… how?"   
  
I laughed aloud. "I don't know, maybe the Ring did it, all I know is that you're not dead anymore!"   
  
It finally sunk in, and I felt a swell of joy come from his soul room. He materialized next to me, his astral body thin and weak, but there. He looked around cautiously. "Where are we?" he asked.   
  
To show him, I pulled him down, kneeling in front of the marker. We could always touch each other when we used astral bodies, but no one else could see or touch us.  
  
His eyes widened as he read the tomb stone. "Bakura," he started, "What are you doing here?" In answer, I motioned to the blankets on the ground. He looked back at me surprised. "You stayed here? All alone? How long?"   
  
"You've been dead for two months, koi," I said softly. He looked shocked.   
  
"I've been dead… for two whole months… and you stayed here? By your self?" he wondered. I shook my head.  
  
"Well, yes, but Yugi and Anzu have been bring food for me, and keeping me company sometimes. And I was never really alone, anyway." I pointed to him, and he stared at me, still letting it all sink in. Then he practically threw himself at me.  
  
"Bakura! How could you do something like that? You could've gotten sick or something!" he said worriedly. I could only smile and put my arms around him.   
  
"Ryou," I said softly, still with his arms around my neck.  
  
"Yeah?" he asked, his chin on my shoulder.  
  
"Lets just stay like this for a while," I replied. He nodded an ok, closing his eyes and napping on our nest of blankets. I wondered if this meant I could leave here now, now that I had Ryou back, but I told myself I would worry about it in the morning when Anzu came with breakfast. Or maybe I'd wait until tonight. I didn't think I was ready to leave yet, anyway. It was quiet here, and I like to sit and think.   
  
We stayed like that until the sun came up that morning, and Anzu found me sitting on the ground talking to him when she came for breakfast.   
  
"Bakura?" she asked when she heard me laugh coming up from her car. I stopped with a smile and told Ryou telepathically to be quiet.  
  
"Good morning, Anzu," I said, surprising her. I was usually nice now, but not nearly this friendly. She smiled and handed me the tray with food on it. I could see Ryou look at the hot cereal hungrily, but she couldn't. I guess being dead doesn't help much in the way of hunger, and suddenly I knew how he felt through the mind link. I ate much faster than usual, and she laughed.   
  
"Didn't Yugi feed you last night?" she asked with a grin. I nodded, not looking up. She laughed again. "I don't remember you ever being this hungry." I didn't respond; its kind of hard to talk when you're shoveling food into your face.   
  
I heard Ryou say, "Don't choke yourself," but I didn't listen. He hadn't eaten in two months, so he was really hungry, and the mind link showed me that plenty clearly. I must have looked quite a sight, too, because Ryou even laughed a little.   
  
When I was finally done I handed her back the bowl and spoon with a smile. Wow. Ryou had only been back to me one night and he was already rubbing off on me. I could live with that, I guess. Anzu smiled, and after a little more small talk she left for school, leaving me with my Hikari.   
  
"Come here," I said to him after her car drove away. I stood up, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. He smiled at me, and I was painfully reminded of how long it had been since the last time I saw him outside of my dreams.   
  
I took him for a quiet walk around the cemetery, showing him all the places I visited while he was gone. My little world by myself. He still couldn't believe that I had been here for two whole months, but I think he appreciated it somehow, too.   
  
I don't think he liked seeing his own tomb stone, either. Well, it's kind of hard to accept the fact that your original body is buried under 6 feet of earth in a coffin in a concrete tomb.   
  
We stayed together that whole day, not talking too much, just enjoying being back together. We decided to tell Yugi when he came to bring me dinner, and hope that he didn't think I was crazy. I asked Ryou if he felt he could take control of my body, but he said no.   
  
"Not yet, I don't think I have the energy. Give me a few days, maybe then."  
  
I accepted it, wondering if things could ever go back to the way they were. Could Ryou go back to school? People would ask a lot of questions, mostly, "Didn't you just die???", but we would cross that bridge when we got to it. I was determined to just enjoy him while I had him to myself.   
  
Finally night came, and Yugi drove up in his little car with our dinner. I still didn't know how to tell him, but I would figure it out. "Hey Bakura," he called as he came into view, holding up a bag of take-out from some restaurant or another. I waved back, smiling slightly. If nothing else, this would be interesting. I would tell him after we ate; he had brought some for himself, so we don't choke or anything, and to give me more time to think.   
  
When we did finish, I cleared my throat. "Yugi," I started, "I have something to tell you."  
  
He looked at me, hoping that I would say I would go back to living like a normal person. I guess I was, really. "Yes, Bakura?"   
  
I gave him a level stare, looking him in the eyes, and said, "Yugi, Ryou isn't dead anymore."  
  
He faltered, stammering something or other about how that wasn't possible. I stayed sitting calmly where I was.   
  
"He's back, Yugi. Somehow the Ring brought his soul back. I don't know how it happened, but he is."  
  
He could only stare at me confusedly.   
  
'Ryou?' I telepathed to my Hikari, who was holding back a giggle. He thought the look on Yugi's face was pretty funny, and I had to agree, just a little. 'Can you at least use my voice?' I asked. He shook his head, so I turned back to Yugi.   
  
"Yugi, you're just going to have to believe me. I know its crazy, and you probably think I've lost it again, but he really is back. The Millennium Ring brought his soul back, and I think we're back to sharing one body again."  
  
"H-how will I know?" he asked finally. I shrugged.  
  
"In a few days, when he has his strength back, I'll give him control, but he needs to rest for now."  
  
He could still only stare at me, not sure whether to believe me or not, but he eventually nodded. "Will you be coming back home?" he asked. I felt my eyes suddenly widen.   
  
"Yugi? Could we stay with you for a couple of days?" I asked, my voice strained when I suddenly remembered the mess I had left the house in. I really didn't think Ryou would want to go back to a bloody living room. Yugi smiled, understanding.   
  
"Don't worry, Bakura, we cleaned the house up for you.," he replied, causing me to let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.   
  
We folded up the blankets and packed them into Yugi's car. He was almost skipping he seemed so happy. Whether it was because I was coming back or that Ryou was apparently back I didn't know, but at least he wasn't calling me crazy. We drove back to my house, the radio the only sound, Ryou's astral self sitting on top of the folded blankets in the back seat.   
  
When we reached the house, Yugi walked inside with me, showing me where they had washed the bloodstains off the walls, carpets and couch. He gave me another smile as he said good night, and he was off. Ryou looked around, gladness evident on his face. We finally went upstairs to our room and, as I was suddenly more tired than I had realized, flopped down on the bed together and fell asleep.   
  
In the morning, I awoke to find that Ryou had gone back to his soul room in his sleep. I thought about waking him up, but he would need all the rest he could get if he was ever going to get better. I figured I would stay home for the next few days and let Ryou recuperate. It would be good for him, and I didn't feel like answering a million questions and having people think I'm crazy until I could prove he was back. Surely Yugi would tell everyone anyway, but I wouldn't have to see them for a while.   
  
Ryou slept for the next four days. He would occasionally wake up and keep me company for a while, but then he'd go back to his much needed rest. I guess dying takes a lot out of a person. I smirked at the thought. No kidding. Eventually, we'll go back to the way we were. Maybe we'll even try the spell again, but not for a long time. And I accept help this time. I don't ever want to lose my precious Hikari again. I swear, Ryou, I'll take good care of you. I'll never let anything separate me from you again.   
  
Never.  
  
_People die, but real love is forever_

* * *

[Yay!! Were you surprised? Did you like it? Should I hang up my story board and never write again? It's all up to you, reviewers! I give you all flowers and candies! And if you _really_ love me, you'll read another one of my stories -. See you next story!] 


End file.
